# Florida House Candidate Rawson Faces Scrutiny Over Past Rally Attendance
*Marshall Rawson defends 2017 Charlottesville attendance as Democrats call for GOP to address extremist ties in District 10 race.*

- Medio: Civic Coast News (https://civiccoastnews.com)
- URL: https://civiccoastnews.com/noticia/florida-house-candidate-rawson-faces-scrutiny-over-past-rally-attendance
- Sección: Politics
- Autor: Civic Coast News Staff
- Publicado: 2026-09-18T07:10:16.447Z
> Marshall Rawson, a likely winner for Florida House District 10, defends his attendance at a 2017 white nationalist rally while Democrats demand GOP leaders denounce the candidate's past associations with extremist groups.

## Las claves

- Florida House candidate Marshall Rawson attended the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville
- Rawson claims involvement was over a decade ago and denies current ties to white supremacist organizations
- Democratic Party head Nikki Fried calls for Republicans to root out extremism following reports of donor links

TALLAHASSEE — Marshall Rawson, a Republican candidate for the Florida House representing District 10, is facing intense scrutiny regarding his past involvement with groups identified as white supremacist organizations and his attendance at the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. The 34-year-old from Bradford County appears poised to win the seat in November due to the district's heavily Republican leanings. However, reports of his political history have sparked a debate within Florida politics regarding extremism and party standards.

### Defense of Past Actions

Rawson has dismissed criticisms by stating he was involved with the League of the South approximately a decade ago. He attributed the resurfacing of these issues to attacks from his Republican primary opponent. In text messages, Rawson stated that he attended the Charlottesville rally specifically to defend statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, which were slated for removal by the city council.

Rawson directed reporters to a Facebook statement where he criticized those who labeled defenders of historical monuments as racists. He claimed that photographs showing him hugging attendees or standing near James Alex Fields Jr., who was later sentenced to life in prison for hate crimes, depict his group walking back to a parking lot after police dispersed a riot on the second day of the event, a story we covered in [Florida GOP Candidate Marshall Rawson Faces Scrutiny After Marching With White S](/noticia/florida-gop-candidate-marshall-rawson-faces-scrutiny-after-marching-with-white-s).

### Political Reactions and Donor Links

The controversy has drawn sharp responses from state political figures. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee for governor who is Black, issued a statement denouncing "racism, anti-Semitism, and bigotry in all of its vile forms." Meanwhile, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried referred to Rawson as a candidate marching alongside Nazis, calling on Governor Ron DeSantis and other prominent Republicans to publicly denounce him. A spokesperson for the governor did not return requests for comment, a story we covered in [Florida GOP Candidate Marshall Rawson Faces Scrutiny After Marching With White S](/noticia/florida-gop-candidate-marshall-rawson-faces-scrutiny-after-marching-with-white-s).

Further scrutiny has emerged regarding campaign donors. Reports indicate that individuals with extremist ties contributed to Rawson's campaign, including Sam Dickson, a lawyer who represented members of the Ku Klux Klan, and Michael Tubbs, who pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges related to sales targeting Black and Jewish-owned businesses. Rawson responded on social media by accusing news outlets of playing "gotcha games" and asserting that contributors support his agenda, confirmed by [Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com).

### Election Outlook

Despite the controversy, Rawson won the August GOP primary with approximately 55% of the vote. He is expected to defeat Democrat Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson in November for Florida House District 10, which covers rural areas including Columbia, Baker, Union, and Bradford counties. In a recent statement, Rawson emphasized his focus on affordability and defending the state's natural beauty as he prepares for the general election.
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Fuente original: https://civiccoastnews.com/noticia/florida-house-candidate-rawson-faces-scrutiny-over-past-rally-attendance